


The ceremony of the Vallaslin

by Vee4Vampy



Series: Vianna Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Other, Vallaslin (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-02-28 17:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18760930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vee4Vampy/pseuds/Vee4Vampy
Summary: This is my interpretation of how they apply the vallaslin, taking important lore, and inspired by a song.PLEASE listen to the song (I apologize beforehand if you don't like it) but it's important for you to hear the music, so you can understand the moments within the story.Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIOSvMCmrIU





	The ceremony of the Vallaslin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Daemonia Nymphe](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Daemonia+Nymphe).



[The ceremony of the Vallaslin (Song)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIOSvMCmrIU)  
  
It was a cold autumn evening, the sun had set early, replacing the warm colors in the distant sky with black clouds roaming the upper hemisphere. Raindrops fell heavily for hours on the woodland trees shedding the final leaves under the elements. A crash of thunder in the long distance broke the repetitive pitter-patter of the rain, and an elf in a daydream, as she listened to the rains' song.

A sturdy cloth tent stood hidden deep within the forest, protected by magic and guarded by sentinels. Inside this tent, a group of elven ladies was preparing one maiden for her big day. She had come of age, only a few days previous. Now under the traditions that they fight to represent and remember, today was the day she will receive her vallaslin. A symbol of the elvhen pantheon, to honor the gods they worship, to remember the history of the elves, will be infused onto her face for eternity under a magic ritual. The girl spent hours cleaning, dressing, decorating her body with jewelry, and having her hair styled to completely expose her face and brow.

Outside the tent, a calming music note of a penny whistle began to play. It repeated a simple eight-bar tune: The Calling. The maiden's assistant's all stood to their feet, forming a straight line, aiming to leave the tent. Each one wearing pristine white gowns, hoods concealing their heads and face. An emblem made of gold, symbolizing the gods, resting over their torso by chains from their shoulders. The backs of their gowns hand tailored with the design of a dragon. Every lady successfully lit a white candle they had on their person and was ready to leave.

The whistle stopped playing, replacing the eight-bar note, with a small alternation but from the flow of a string instrument: The journey. One by one, the ladies graced their exit with solo steps forward, dragging the opposite foot to stand alongside the other, and repeated. The women walked for a few seconds, under the canopy of a blue magical barrier, walled in by the villagers of the clan as they playing witness to this special event.

The ivory maidens were now all visible as they begin to chant: The prayer. As one voice, the enchanting femininity echoed under the essence of magic, above their heads and below their feet. Vocalizing under the ancient tongue they continued to walk slowly as the music placed a calm sooth to the air, feeling the eyes of the clan, and the magical ether of Thedas, watch as they walk down a straight path, leading to an open circle.

The bend of the circle began and ended with the creation of every female mage they could gather, concentrating their magic together as one lifeforce, to protect this holiest of moments from nature, spirits, and humanity. Each wore a dark blue robe, matching the night sky hidden by their magical shield. Matching symbolized embroidery, and matching emblems and chains over their bodies. Their arms held out by their sides, hands tied tightly together, every eye sealed shut, heads and faces concealed by the dark hoods.

Centered in the circle, stood three elvhen elders. To the left, a woman blessed by holy light and great magic. Her long flowing silver hair showered in flakes of gold, gloriously dressed in ivory silks and shimmering lace, tastefully decorated with tree vines and leaves. To her left, a wise wrinkled bald male. His face half concealed with the heavy detail of the vallaslin of Elgar'nan, all Father of the elves. His body wrapped in golden robes with scarfs draping over his shoulders and arms. To this mans left, another male stood. A well-groomed brunette male stood proud in his dark green military suit, embroidered with the fine detail of the tree life on his back. He held his chest out strongly holding a lyrium-infused staff, towering over his head firmly in his left hand, pulsating with contained magic.

Placed before these three elves were three items. A smoothly polished stone big enough to sit on, sat unmoved from the grass for an unknown number of years, decorated with chipped carvings into its surface. To one side of the stone, a slim stand, supporting a silver tray, covered with a red piece of cloth. On the opposite side, the same stand and tray stood, but no cloth. This was where the ivory maidens stopped praying then spread out to form a bowed line around the stone. Each one placed their candles around the polished stone, gently resting the cylinder of wax into holders. Once complete they took a step back, remaining within the bowed line.

With the lightning splintering the sky, the circle of mages all made a single thunderous clap of their hands, creating perfect timing with the music as the strong beat from a drum, accompanied the bass line opening of the clapped hands. The gentle rattle of a tambourine danced with the penny whistle as it sang in the magical air, accompanied by the deep strum of a lute. Every mage within the circle, the three elves standing tall and the line of girls all began to chant a beautiful harmonic tune. They sang three simple notes, raising and lowering their tone all as one, in a loop of four. The girls within the ring sang as well as sway the dance of a weeping willow, using their clothes to flow with their movement. A small pause came from the voices of the angels, as the man in gold, The Keeper of the clan, stepped forth towards the stone. The strings of the lute and the whistle played as his grace took his steps, and when he was ready, he placed his arms out to the sky and lifted up his head.

The heart of the drum began to beat, sensations of the tambourine fluttered, the voice of the song called again, and The Keeper spoke to the gods: The Blessing. The praise he spoke out in the ancient tongue as he presented his child in this holiest of moments. He slowly lowered his arms as he spoke, holding out before him, hands reaching out to the line of elves, and to the tent entrance, signing for his child, Vianna Revasa Lavellan to come forth. The music changed again, back to the lute and whistle. It played another small loop of four of its graceful notes of music. It was now the villagers of the clan turn to sing the same tune as the mages, as they waited patiently to see the 'chosen one' take her first step to her fate.

Vianna's heart was racing, pounding deep in her ears. Her hands shook viciously as she struggled to light her own white candle. She suffered small strikes of panic hitting her chest as she failed to breathe, cry, think, and act all at once. Using her arm for support, she soon got the candle lit. The cloth concealing the tent entrance opened, as Vianna was greeted by the dim blue light, leaving an uncomfortably long pathway bricked by elves, as the echo of voices hit her like an enchantment of control.

She did not want this! She is a bookworm, a walking librarian, it brought her comfort and joy knowing she knew and discovered so much. On this subject alone, her own research, the knowledge she held, countless theories and hypotheses resting in her highly intelligent brain was screaming "no!" Something about this didn't add up, as well as deep down in her young free willed heart, something was saying your right, they are wrong. The name bestowed upon her had a meaning - 'young and free', yet she felt like a beast, being pulled by an invisible chain as she took in her final deep breath, looked up before her journey, and began to make those shakey, nervous, hesitant steps. She let her legs shake uncontrollably under the flow of her elegant dress and a hooded cloak so she could hold the candle as tight as possible. As try as she might, she still failed, as melted wax countlessly dripped off, splashing on her hands, but her magic within the pores of her skin instantly froze the wax into tiny broken fragments and soon flaked away into the magic-infused air before it even burnt hurt.

She somehow continued to walk forward. The more steps she took, the line of people standing at both her sides began to sing. A single layer of voices had started singing, reciting a double loop by the time Vianna reached her third step. She was meant to sing too, but her nervousness forced a heavy blockage in her throat. She attempted to open her lips, yet they wobbled back shut, she attempted to move her tongue, but her mouth was too dry. A new layer of voices joined the harmonic layer, looping in a number of four. The candle was almost going out by the interference of the wax coating the wick, caused by Vianna's badly shaking hands. Her head lowered, hoping no one would notice the tear accidentally fall from her eye. The third layer of voices joined in, creating a double tune again. Vianna had no choice but to look up, making sure she was making good timing, as the singing became more distracting than helpful. It was there she was grateful for her chin to choose to lift up, as she took a double look to her left, and with her eyes she noticed Kai.

Kai looked beautiful as ever as she too had her hair design similar to Vianna. The over emotional blonde moved her hand to her chest, placing it over her heart and smiled as she watched her closest friend finally present herself before her. Everything from that moment of eye contact seemed to slow down as the girls looked deep into each other's minds. What were valuable seconds, felt like a much-needed time-out, as the girls telepathically spoke to each other, as everyone saw Vianna continue walking.

_"Kai, help me! I don't want to do this."_

_"I'm sorry, you...we have no choice."_

_"This isn't right, I know it isn't."_

_"You are my best friend, you know I believe you. I'm sure you will find a way to possibly undo the vallaslin."_

_"You truly believe that?"_

_"With all my heart, and my bow!"_

_"Thank you, I love you."_

_"I love you too...here..."_

It was now Kai's turn to join in with the singing. As the girl opened her lips to allow her voice to join the harmony, she quickly placed her hand from her chest over her lips and blew a kiss in Vianna's direction. A delicate spray of blue dust flew from Kai's fingers, captured itself in her blowing kiss, and flew into Vianna's face. The dust reached under her hood, touched her eyes and tickling her cheeks. Within seconds of the impact, Vianna felt the leash crumble away from her neck, her lungs filled with power, her eyes focused before her. The shake in her legs melted into the ground, filling that nervous void with magic instead from the depth of the earth, right through to the core. She channeled the magic like a battery, absorbing its strength, its gift, using it as the lifeforce she needed to cleanse her mind, her body, and free her true feelings, expressing them the only way she knew how to, through song.

With ease, confidence, and full of life, Vianna opened her mouth, took in a huge inhale of the particle-infused air around her, soaked in all its magical energy, listened to her heart, and released her own voice to join the gathering. Something suddenly changed in the girl, and she changed everything around her. Her exhale of breath, the calling of her voice spoke to the magic within the air creating an intense impact of emotion in everyone's hearts. The barrier above her head hummed in strength as it glowed more blue than ever. The circle of mages charging before her nearly broke their sacred methods as some felt the urge to open their eyes, for a wave of magic interacted with their focus, throwing them into a gust of enhanced power. The musicians playing oddly felt a rush of power and magic too, feeling the artistic material evolve under their fingertips and through the materials of the instruments themselves.

The whole earth shook with life, feeling this girls strength, her knowledge, her courage, her passion. Her devotion to the true history of the elvhen pantheon. No fake gods or deities, no lies, knowing the difference between facts and stories. She sang with her heart, taking on perfect timing with the remaining line of the elves beside her, singing the final fourth loop of the harmony. She too began to glow as the magic enveloped her body like vines to a tree. Inside her heart she was at peace, feeling calm and connected to her true calling: The World around her, The Magic within it, and The Fade behind it. Her last few seconds of power presented the girl with such a shine, like a wisp capable of taking a full physical form.

The chanting then came to a sharp halt. Vianna walked through her assistants as they broke the bowed line. She now stands in the circle center, her feet nearly touching the polished stone. The ivory maidens dancing suddenly stops. One girl from the center presents herself forward, carefully lowers the maidens hood, unties the knot under her neck and removes the cloak. The lute and penny whistle played its four loops of music as the remaining ladies performed their duties by assisting Vianna to take a seat upon the stone, adjusting her clothes and hair accordingly. They took their final backward steps, leaving Vianna sitting in front of her Keeper, and her parents. The elves who created the pathway, slowly made their way into the inner circle, standing in front of the mages within a single file.

Reality returned to the girl's mind as that little booster from Kai dissolved away, yet it left something behind that lingered with high pleasantry. While everyone was preparing and moving around, all Vianna could feel and hear was the rain outside the barrier. She couldn't feel it fall on her skin, but her skin felt moisturized by its touch. Every breath carried in that unique smell of fresh falling rain. The nightly chill lowering the waters temperatures, melting the intense ice within her magical core, bestowing a cleaning upon her. Her mind was in a completely different world, a world she truly is young and free, no pain, no doubt, no fear, no control. The hypnoses played autopilot on her body and sanity but kept her free will fully functional.

The music evolved into a whole new type of musical rhythm. The pace of the lute strummed quickly as the drum played at half the speed of the lute behind it. The keeper spent these few seconds, resting his fingertips under her chin, gently stroking the taut strands of her hairline, staring at the innocent youth in her lost blue eyes. He reached for the red cloth resting upon the tray to his right, moving it aside, allowing a reflective shine gleam as the light project off the silver tray and object. The man took hold of this object with his right hand, turned to look at Vianna's knotted hands. He broke the link with ease, took hold of her left hand under his own will.

Under perfect synchronization, the man began to chant in the ancient tongue once again. The music changed one final time to a new rhythm, the once slow drums double-doubled, the tambourine fluttered at the drums original speed. Every voice of very elf present was now chanting its final triple toned harmony of the night, all for this final act of the ceremony: The Sacrifice. All this as the man took the girls hand, hoisted it up, and placed a bone gripper dagger with a curve-tipped metal blade within her palm. Her covered his thin long boney fingers over her young pale ones, still speaking in prayer. Together their arms moved, now positioning the girl's hand over her tilted upwards face, carefully placing the tip of the blade very close to the skin of the girls lower brow.

The young girl was now under the final force of pressure and control, as her mind knew what must be done, what happens next. The beating of her heart was so strong, she couldn't tell if she was hearing its plea for help, or the drums playing. She saw her Keepers lips move, yet no voice could be heard, from him, or the elves singing adding the claustrophobia. Her eyes began to drip tears of fear, tears of abandonment, tears of slavery, watching the light reflecting off the crafted metal. She refocused her eyes to look down a little, just so she could see the tiniest glimpse of her parents. Her gifted sight made their faces place right before her. Her mother, sharing tears, yet for different reasons, her heartbreaking to the sights of her only living child. Her father, still unable to break any sight of emotion to the only heir of his legacy, now left under the reign of an oversensitive female mage.

There was no music anymore, there was no more rain, no chanting voices, not even the life of the magic within her could be felt anymore. Vianna's spirit was drifting away, inner strength was losing sight, hope was dimming into darkness. No more thoughts, no more memories to link with negative emotions, her mind, her heart, her spirit nearly empty. Her Keeper muttered his final words, inaudible, yet understood, as the settings, the mood, the people, the music, the procedure all came to one vicious stop. Vianna's final beats of her tortured heart played its last note, coating her soul into complete silence.

_"Las...ar...Revas..."_

_**"Ar lasa mala revas"** _

The spark of the unknown voice flicked the switch. Vianna forced the tip of the digger directly into her forehead above the eyebrows, breaking the skin, penetrating the muscle and tissue, to ensure a successful dose of her blood is released, to give to her Keeper, so he can create the Vallalsin upon her face. Not a sound must, and was not heard, as the Keeper materialized the magic with all his power, fusing Vianna's blood into blood magic like an artist with paint on a canvas. It burned, it stung, seeping deep to her nerves, sending waves of intense pain all down her neck and back and into her head.

_"The physical is gone now. Where else is there left for the pain to rest?"_

The girl drowned into her pit, her void. Nothing around her as she drifted into the abyss, cloaking round her like a cage. Stripped of everything that made her mortal, made her unique, now just another walking puppet to the masters, forgotten, abandoned, lost.

_"Sorry, I'm such a disappointment to you, father. Sorry, I'm unable to follow your guidance, mother. Sorry, I wasn't a good little sister, Aswan."_

A bolt of thunder and a strike of lightning shattered above the clouds, the barrier was now gone, the ceremony was over. Everyone could finally breathe as the magic evaporated into the open environment once again, connecting them to the elements of autumn rain, as every eye watched a weak, drained, helpless girl fall to the floor once free from the grip of the vallaslin magic. Completely unconscious, yet obeyed the law and rules, the girl remained completely silent as the procedure was made. Her limp dead body was quickly hoisted off the soggy turning mud and grass by her helpers and quickly carried into the tent. Every other elf within the area scattered away, desperate to get dry, completely ignoring the fact that a girl just passed out from sheer intense pain.

The newly _"blessed child"_ was placed on the coach within the tent, made comfortable and allowed to rest. All the ladies in white soon looked at each other, wondering what happens now? Their questioning was soo answered, by a convincing distraction, as a very went blonde girl leaped through the entrance of the tent, gasping for breath demanding the girls to get to the keeper immediately. Without hesitation, the girls' fleed, leaving Kai finally alone with her friend.

Kai, the only one who truly cared about Vianna's feelings, knew what she bottled up and knew how to cope with the aftermath. No girl in the clan understood her, even Kai found something "odd" about the mini white-haired snowgirl, but the two soon bonded quicker than seed to soil, and together their friendship was like the tree of life itself - Eternal. Kai changed the girl posture a little, putting her in her natural sleeping position, added some extra pillow, and used the cloak as a blanket. The companion watched in silence for a few moments, letting the rain continue to sprinkle on the fabric above her head, as she released the tense tug in the girl's beautiful white hair, giving it that preferred flow of freedom.

"I'm sorry this had to happen Vianna, I truly am. I still believe in you. You will find someone to help you find the truth you seek, I know you will."

Kai linked her hands in her friends, brought her cold hands forth to her warm lips and placed a kiss of friendship across the linked fingers.

"I'll always keep an eye on you, I promise. Rest now my friend, for tomorrow, your a new person."


End file.
